The city of Grafton is the seat of Local Government, the Federal and State Government administrative centre, and the commercial hub of the Clarence River Valley. Established in 1851, Grafton features many historic buildings and tree-lined streets. It is located approximately 630 kilometres north of the New South Wales State capital, Sydney, 340 km south of Brisbane, Queensland and approximately 35 km west of the Tasman Sea coast. As at June 2015, Grafton had a population of 18,689.